Research Projects

The research aims to validate laboratory principles for detecting bloodstains in crime scenes, particularly in outdoor settings. Bloodstain spatter, associated with satellite spots, swipe, and transfer patterns, remains inconclusive due to its resemblance to similar crime patterns. Fly artifacts that closely resemble bloodstain remain unrecognized, even morphologically. Fluorescent and scanning Electron Microscopy (sEM) were previously considered confirmatory for diagnosis of fly artifacts, but they were not validated for outdoor field studies due to fluctuating weather and contamination. The objectives of the study are to differentiate human bloodstains from fly artifacts exposed to outdoor external environments and stains deposited by biotic interactions exposed to outdoor external environments. The hypothesis/models proposed will be tested for differential forensic diagnosis of fly artifacts from mixed bloodstains in outdoor conditions and logistic models for quick distinction of fly artifacts from contaminated bloodstains in crime scenes. The experiments will involve at least 50 unclaimed cadaveric bodies/parts, fresh human blood samples, data collection on a body farm, and examination of experimental and control samples for morphological details. spectrophotometry will be used for characterization, with a focus on screen fly artifacts. The significance of the research is to validate laboratory principles in outdoor settings under fluctuating environments, discriminate stains using spectrophotometry for fly artifact characterization, and validate logistic models for quick forensic diagnosis of fly artifacts from contaminated bloodstains in crime scenes. This is the first of its kind to validate laboratory principles in outdoor settings that closely resemble crime scenes in realism.